Gift for someone on bed rest?

jessicaqbgray

I am posting this on a few of the boards in hopes that someone can help me out.  I have 2 sons and both came LATE and I had very easy pregnancies.  My cousin, however, has not had the same experiences.  Her first son was born 5 weeks early and is doing great now.  Her second child, a girl, is due in October but she started dilating last week and has been put on total bed rest.  I am not sure yet if she even will be able to leave the hospital.  I want to send her a gift and want some help.  If any of you were on bed rest, what do you wish someone would have sent you or what was a great gift that you DID get?  I have considered books, music, movies and even perhaps mail order food.  Suggestions/opinions wanted and needed!  THANKS!!!

nat6102006

A basket of snack food is a good idea. My parents who live far away sent me one when I was on hospital bed rest. Hospital food gets old really fast. It's nice to have a treat.

kdp2008

I was on bed rest in the hospital and my husband bought me the Knifty Knitter to make hats and blankets for the baby.  It's like knitting for dummies but we both enjoyed making things for our son.

It's not an activity but our aunt also brought a large "bouquet" of indivudually wrapped cake pops.  It was a cheerful addition to the room and we could offer them to our vistors and favorite nurses as well.

urbanflowerpot

If you read the FAQ in my siggy you'll find a lot of suggestions that can be applied to both bed rest and premature birth/NICU time. HTH + GL!

pathfindermon

Food is awesome- some snacks or even a lunch.  I got tired of the hospital food pretty quick.  Also, is there anything that she needs done at home?  It was really hard for me to be away from my house and it helped so much to know that things were taken care of.  My niece took care of my dog, took out the trash, got the mail, etc....  This really helped to ease my mind.  Your're a great cousin!  Just knowing that people are there for you is a big help!

OrganicTeacher

I would say it depends on what you want to spend - but the best present we got (I went from a day on bed rest to having him... so I didn't get to be on it for too long) was a house cleaning from a local company! My husband bought it for us off groupon - it was awesome to come home finally to a clean house!

Irishsapphire

I was on hospital bedrest for most of April.  My husband would bring me Snackwells Devil's Food Cookies, and I ate them like they were going out of style.  That was my middle of the night snack.  My inlaws brought in Starbuck's Hot Chocolate to me in the hospital. 

I would have loved if someone would have bought something off my baby registry or given me a gift card--I was so isolated in the hospital, and I relied on the internet to shop for things--I had most of the baby items, but mostly I was buying baby girl clothes, and baby items that were more for a baby girl since I had a baby boy--I just wanted her to have her own stuff. 

And it really made my day when some relatives sent me flowers and just saying that they were thinking about me. 

thishappyhouse

My sympathies to your cousin and very thoughtful of you to want to do something for her.  I was only on bedrest for a month, but was on strict bedrest at the beginning and then absolutely not allowed out of bed for the last 10 days.  The absolute best things that friends & family did for my husband and I were:

Taking care of our dog

Our inlaws bought us a chest freezer and many people stocked it with meals.  Although I was in the hospital, my husband still needed easy access to meals.  It helped immensely once I was home and was later used for milk storage.

 edible arrangement.  I was overwhelmed with snacks and sweets but loved all the fruit that arrived.

toiletries- dry shampoo, good lotion, good chapstick, elastic headbands, handheld mirror, blotting tissues- anything to feel more human when you go days or weeks without a shower

most importantly all I wanted was to talk to people.  It was the best way to pass the time.  visitors, skype, and phonecalls were what I looked forward to the most and helped me stay positive.   

becketts

If you live close, a visit is so nice since bedrest can be really isolating. If that's not feasible, a phone call is the next best thing.

rels09

I have been on hospital bedrest for 3 weeks, with 4 days to go. I love getting food, especially non-sweets. Sweets are good, too, but everyone tends to bring/send that. I also got a package with one of each of 6 different magazines, and I loved that. Sometimes it's hard to focus on real reading, so a magazine is just the thing. Also, if she likes any online games, like Words with Friends, play with her. Words with Friends has been an awesome distraction for me.

Imanurse03

So sorry to hear about your cousin. I hope everything goes well. That is so nice to think of her. I agree with snacks or food. I loved that while I was in the hospital. I remember my cousin bringing DH and me Chik Fil A while I was hospitalized on Christmas Eve and I was in heaven. A friend brought me snacks and magazines. I have a Kindle and so another friend emailed me an Amazon gift card so I could buy some e books. Could you arrange to have someone come to her hospital room and give her a mani? I would have loved that. Could you arrange to have someone clean her house? MIL cleaned my house and that was a big weight lifted from my shoulders.

schenkertobe

The best gift I got was from my sister. She made me one of those paper chains with a link for each day I had to go until I got to full term. The highlight of my day was to be able to rip off another link. Even though I didn't get to full term it was so nice to feel like I was making progress.

kelkel09

When I was on hospital bedrest, I got a ton of magazines, books, puzzles, and snack food. I sometimes wished I got regular food items rather than just cookies, candy etc bc I ended up having so many sweets in the room.

iristony

Here is a recent article I wrote:

What to do for Friends on Hospital Bedrest

 

After spending 26 long days on hospital bedrest myself, I thought I would share some unique ways you can cheer up the mama-to-be.  These are in addition to the usual suspects such as sending flowers, bringing her baked goods, having take out food delivered to her room, etc?

 

1. Host a cocktail party in her room:  While in the hospital, your friend or family member will have not only had enough of hospital food, but also of Pizza, Chinese and all the other take out dishes from the local places.  Spice things up a little and bring an array of gourmet cheeses and crackers (do not forget the cheese knives), dips, spreads, etc? Bring some plastic champagne flutes and some sparkling apple cider too ? or better yet a martini shaker and make up a yummy mocktail.  And how about some petite little desserts and a table cloth while you are at it.  This will definitely cheer up the mama to be.
2. Buy the mama to be a comfy new outfit or pajamas.  Since she will be stuck in bed all day long, she will not get to wear all those cute maternity dresses but will be so grateful for a new pair of yoga pants and tee shirt, or new loungewear.
3. Bring in elements to make her room more homey.  A nice throw for the bed, a lamp to eliminate all the fluorescent lighting, framed photos, a plant that will hang around after all the flowers die. Also a must is a bath mat and a nice towel or two.  The hospital towels and washcloths are super flimsy and they do not provide a bathmat.  Hit up the clearance section at Target or Marshall?s for some homey touches ? it does not matter what they look like or if they match since they will be for temporary use.  Dollar store too!
4. Plan a movie night!  Bring in a good chic flick DVD, microwave popcorn and some of those big boxes of Sno Caps and other movie theater candy.  Most antepartum units have a little kitchen with a microwave for the popcorn, nachos or any other movie favorites that need to be heated up.
5. Plan an in room spa day!  If you cannot afford to bring in the experts, do it on your own.  Bring in some terry headbands and some fun facial masks.  Don?t forget the cucumbers for the eyes.  Bring in a selection of nail polish and help her paint her toes or fingers.  Bring your blow dryer and make up bag too and help her do her hair and make up and feel pretty for the day.  Also, if she is not allowed to shower often or for long periods of times and it does not gross you out, you can also maybe help her shave her legs while you are there.
6. Breakfast in Bed:  Once again, she is really sick of hospital food by now!  Most people come to visit at night or afternoon and bring lunch, dinner or snacks.  How about surprising her on Sunday morning with some fresh squeezed orange juice, a decaf latte, fresh bagels and cream cheeses, and a yummy fruit salad.  Do not forget to pick up a chocolate croissant or any other fancy pastry that may spark her interest for dessert.  Yes, dessert for breakfast is permitted while pregnant!
7. Help her get organized:  She may or may not have an endless flow of visitors coming in to visit and dropping off magazines, snacks and flowers.  If she does, her room is bound to become a mess.  Since she is supposed to stay in bed, she may get stressed out and feel the need to get up and straighten up.  Do it for her!
8. If she does not have a laptop or ipad: :Lend her one or ask all of her Facebook friends if they will all chip in a few dollars so you can buy her a cheap tablet or netbook.  Without something to watch a movie on or surf the internet, she will go MAD!

belljason92

Have you thought about baking cookies or buying a cookie gift basket for her? Last year I was on bed rest and my DH bought me a cookie gift basket at the hospital. It was SO nice to have a break from hospital food. It was really small as well so it wasn't like I was eating cookies every day, which made me feel better.